Kenya’s government has launched investigation into the death of three nationals who were among six aid workers killed in South Sudan last week.

The Foreign Affairs Minister Amina Mohamed told local media that they are engaging all stakeholders in the investigation to ascertain the death of the aid workers.

The Kenyan Embassy in Juba and South Sudan’s embassy in Nairobi are in contact with both governments regarding the tragedy, she said.

Amina Mohamed added that the government will facilitate the transportation of the bodies of the three Kenyan nationals as officials are working to recover the bodies.

The six victims working for non-governmental organization Grassroots Empowerment and Development Organisation (GREDO) were killed in an ambush on Saturday while traveling from the capital Juba to the town of Pibor approximately 3.4km from Badingilo National Park.

A convoy of protection forces from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, together with members of the Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) visited the incident location on Tuesday.

A joint statement from the European Union Delegation and heads of missions of 13 countries in Juba strongly condemned the attack and called on the South Sudanese government to thoroughly investigate the attack to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

“The Heads of Mission strenuously emphasize that aid workers, like other civilians, must be protected from violence and must never be the target of attack,” the statement said.

“We call upon all armed actors to undertake a ceasefire in line with the Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, and to make genuine efforts to bring about peace, stability, and improved humanitarian access,” it added.

The South Sudanese rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In-Opposition (SPLM-IO) has accused government forces of killing the six aid workers.

The attack brings the total of 80 aid workers killed in South Sudan since the December 2017 crisis.